Residents of Austin, Sidney mourn teens who died in crash

Hey there, time traveller!This article was published 5/10/2013 (1160 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Townspeople in two communities along the Trans-Canada Highway are grieving after a collision killed two local teenagers and injured two others.

A 17-year-old teen from Austin and a 14-year-old teen from Sidney died when a pickup truck slammed into the rear of the car they were driving in on Saturday at about 4 pm.

MIKE DEAL / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS

A gouge in the earth along the Trans-Canada Highway about two kilometres west of MacGregor marks the spot where a 17-year-old teen from Austin and a 14-year-old teen from Sidney died when a pickup truck slammed into the rear of the car they were driving in on Saturday. Purchase Photo Print

Two others were injured and rushed to hospital. One has been released and is recovering at home.

RCMP are still investigatingt why the collision happened on a straight stretch of highway while both vehicles were travelling eastbound.

"It's a large loss for our community," said Pastor Colin Bell of the Austin Evangelical Fellowship.

"It's not an easy time for our youth."

Pieces of the vehicles, as well as medical equipment, lay strewn in the ditch west of MacGregor and deep tire tracks were in the ground.

The pickup truck was an Office of the Fire Commissioner vehicle.

A spokesman for the Office of the Fire Commissioner said the 45-year-old employee from Elie was working at the time, but was not driving to or from a fire.

"This is a tragedy and we send our deepest sympathies to the families and loved ones of those involves," the spokesman said Sunday.

While investigators do not believe alcohol was a factor in the collision, charges are being contemplated, RCMP said.